"Confirmed: Retail Patapon 2 to be UMD-free

Our inside source has given us word that Sony will release its upcoming title Patapon 2 purely through digital means, even though empty cases with the download code will be available at retailers. Sony may be inching even closer to a purely digital business model, but retailers will surely want to fight the future. Is this the first shot in the digital war? Update: Sony has confirmed the news."

Hal's quote:
"When we spoke to Entertainment Consumer Association President Hal Halpin at GDC, he brought up one of the challenges of going with pure digital distribution: why would retailers sell your hardware if they no longer got a cut of the software? "It's totally razors and razorblades, so [game publishers] have to overcome that first," he explained. "I wouldn't be surprised if major retailers haven't already discussed this and have something locked down."

The complete article is available here: [url]http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2009/04/patapon-2-to-go-umd-less-even-in-retail-stores-new-sony-trend.ars[/url]